Planerio vs Shiftbase (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Planerio if

• Fits if you run a German team and need time recording that follows German and EU law
• Works for care and shift businesses that use DATEV or Personio

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't read German, since the site and product are in German
• Not for you if you want a price, as none is published
• Watch out: it claims over 100 interfaces, and which come with each contract isn't shown

Pick Shiftbase if

• Fits if you pay surcharges for nights, Sundays and public holidays and run payroll through Nmbrs, AFAS or DATEV
• Works for teams of up to 15 who want a free rota instead of a spreadsheet

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you pay in dollars, as prices are in euros or pounds only
• Tight if you stay free and need clock-ins, as the free plan only takes typed hours and has 1 department
• Pricey if you need several integrations, since App Center+ is €20 a month on top outside Enterprise
• Watch out: each staff member past the plan's count adds €3.60 to €5.40 a month, and labor targets need Premium
• Skip it if you might cancel early, as yearly plans are paid up front with no refund and monthly plans need a month's notice

Planerio

• No prices are published; the site points to demos and a webinar instead.
• The site and product are in German, and the time recording rules follow German and EU law.
• Planerio says it has over 100 interfaces; which ones are included in each contract is not shown.

Shiftbase

• Prices are shown in euros or pounds only; there is no dollar price.
• Each paid plan includes a set number of employees; every extra one costs €3.60 to €5.40 a month billed yearly (€4 to €6 monthly).
• Most payroll, POS and HR integrations and API tokens need the App Center+ add-on at €20 a month (€17.50 yearly), except on Enterprise. Basic includes three free integrations.
• The Free plan has no clock-in, only hours typed in by hand. Yearly plans are paid up front and not refunded; monthly plans have one month's notice.

Planerio

Automatic rota planning

An algorithm builds a duty roster from the rules and wishes entered, which the vendor says saves up to 90% of planning time.

Absence management

Handles short-notice absences and freed-up shifts, including across locations.

Employee app

Staff see the current roster and time sheets on iOS and Android; the vendor describes the app as free.

Time recording

Working time is recorded in line with the German Working Time Act and the EU court ruling on time recording, and visible to staff.

Payroll preparation and analytics

Payroll data is prepared for the month-end close, with reports and visualizations of staffing data.

Digital personnel file

HR documents are stored in each employee profile and can be shared with the team.

Shiftbase

Drag-and-drop scheduling

Shifts are dragged onto employees, staff share availability, swap shifts and claim open ones, and Premium adds skill-based scheduling, required shifts and a flexpool.

Clock-in and kiosks

From Basic, staff clock in on mobile, desktop or a shared tablet kiosk; Premium allows unlimited kiosks and limits clock-ins to a GPS radius.

Absence and leave

Leave requests, approvals, sickness and balances are handled in the app, with surcharges for Sundays, public holidays and, on Premium, night rates.

Labor cost targets

Premium sets labor cost or hours budgets per team and day, shows whether the schedule stays inside them, and has a KPI dashboard and AI revenue forecasts.

Payroll export

Contract versus worked hours, surcharges and leave payouts export as Excel or CSV, or go to payroll systems such as Nmbrs, AFAS and DATEV through the App Center.

Employee records and news

One profile per person with contact and emergency details, plus news messages to the whole team; the HR Pro add-on generates and e-signs contracts.

Planerio

Pricing could not be confirmed. See planerio.de.

Shiftbase

• Free€0

  Up to 15 employees, 1 department and 5 teams: scheduling, manual time entry, employee profiles and team news.

• Basic€27

  per month for up to 6 employees, billed yearly (€30 billed monthly)

  Adds availability, swaps and open shifts, clock-in on phone, desktop or one kiosk, absence management and payroll export. Extra staff €3.60 each (€4 monthly).

• Premium€64.80

  per month for up to 12 employees, billed yearly (€72 billed monthly)

  Adds labor cost targets and budgets, skill-based scheduling, geofenced clock-in and unlimited kiosks. Extra staff €4.50 each (€5 monthly).

• Enterprise€302.40

  per month for up to 48 employees, billed yearly (€336 billed monthly)

  Adds App Center+, API access, custom integrations and a success manager. Sold through a demo. Extra staff €5.40 each (€6 monthly).

Planerio

No public discounts listed.

Shiftbase

• Annual discount

  Save 10% with yearly billing

  Yearly billing takes 10% off every paid plan and extra employee, for example Basic at €27 instead of €30 a month.

• Nonprofit

  Discount for charities and non-profits

  Charities and non-profits get a discount that depends on team size and plan, through a proposal from the sales team.